The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1887-05-12
See Comrade Taylor's adv. on page 5.
WRITING "HISTORY."
COmrade Spicily and Sharply CritIciIss "Carle
fOBv

1 n sOAntaue opiClal "tkfLe-
tOn.'
EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: When began
to read the very interesting articles by earle
ton" i thought, here is person who is almost
omniscient," and read but few of his papers
before i decided he was also omnipresent AS
a novelist he has proven himself quite sue
cess, for he not only knows all the language used
by the officers on our side, but with equal ease
gives verbatim the conversation of those wear
ing the gray, concerning the same events. As
novelist he does well, but as q historian
he is most injurious, especially among those
for whom he claims 10 be writing-the BOYS
and girls Of America. When writing any
thing for the young, if we expect them to re-
member il, we should be careful 10 tell the
truth, and especially so when we attempt to
give historical facts. Take for instance, earle
tons" account of the killing of Gen. Leonidas
Polk. 1t is told so minutely and apparently
fully that no boy or girl that can be affected by
death scenes can ever forget il. When they
shall read what we call reliable history, and SEQ
a very different statement, they will condemn
and denOunce one or the other. Properly they
will soon learn 10 question the truth of all So
called history, and the sooner they learn that
the better, and in this perhaps "Carleton's"
articles may be of some good.
Imagine Gen. Howard telling Gen. Sherman
that Gen. Thomas wants him TO be sparing of
has artillery ammunition, when Gen. Sherman
tells him 20 use it! And recently a member of
the 9th Ind. battery has Gen. Sherman use
some very soldierly language orders a Corporal
TO fire another shot and to then return to the
line; both cases referring 10 the same instance,
the killing of Gen. Polk.
j read a short distance into one of his arti-
cles describing events in which had sup
posed i participated, when / suddenly stopped
and concluded was certainly not there, for
his statement and my account, written on the
spot as the incidents were occurring were SO
dissimilar that they could not refer 10 the same
events i concluded / must have been in q
dream at the time; but since / have seen others
question the correctness of "CaTleton's" state
ment, have felt more confidence in my own
memoranda.
From the time entered Uncle Sans service,
in August, lS62, until he permitted me 10 again
don the garb OF a civilian, in July. 1865, j kept
as complete record Us circumstances would
permit of everything connected with the por-
ton OF the army where | wEs; especially OF all
i saw, and of every march, long or short; made
map OF the roads Travelled, and all cross
roads, rivers, creeks, etc, we came 10, for future
use in case OF necessity. find my record reads
thus:
June 14.s Z" tie o'clock several bat
ASiANoi iiNiuAlhS Oh the mountain
lPine) and on the woods at the foot and the
front Of the mountain. We shelled the grounds
quite thoroughly"
During the cannonading the rebel Lieut.
Gen. Polk was killed, l0-pOund she'll passing
through his body aud burying itself in the
earth some distance farther on. Prisoners who
were taken that afternoon said he was killed in
the manner above stated, and that the battery
that fired the shell stood in the field near the
old house, clearly describing our position. We
know that there was no battery within quar-
ter OF q mile on either side Of u.s. and we were
so near the house that We used it for quarters.
Our battery fired l6 rounds. and ours were 10
pound guns. What kind OF guns did the 9TH
Ind. hayel
notice many are writing about body found
hanging on high hill near the Chattahoochio.
On July 3, / wrote:
+" also saw the remains Of Il. T.. Duncan, n
Confederate soldier, hanging 10 a small tree, by
the string from his haverack. The flesh and
some of the bones had fallen off,"
i distinctly remember il. 1t was a small
sapling 10 which he was hanging, aud il was
bent over down-hillward so his remaining foot
Zone having dropped OFF. and being still in his
shoe under his Leg, Was only four or Eve inches
from the ground. A paper found in his pocket
bore the name above given, from which !
judged IL was his name. He had evidently
hung himself Some soldiers said there were
two Others near by; but hunted thoroughly
and found none, nor could 1 find a soldier who
had seen any others; the nearest TO il was.
Some one told me he saw two Others"
i do not doubt that Carleton" has found
somewhere nearly all he says, $50 written" AS
Josephus expresses it but he adds too much
from his imagi nation. IL makes good novel,
but very poor history. And memory, also. is
very poor authority TO quote from, as witness
Gen. Sherman in his " Memoirs" There he
frankly states he writes from memory, and we
can then excuse any deviation from facts. and
they are quite few; but Carleton" gives
as no such chance, as he writes as though all he
states is simple truth.
Comrades, what we write will be read by
some one. How much Of it will fnd its way
into history We cannot tell. Let Us take care 10.
state Facts as We know them, just such as would
be accepted in a court of justice and when
we write what We heard. so state, that we
may lead no one astray.-ROBERT DOYLE,
Fleming, Mo.